newsies 1-7 aug. '97

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

  o Estrogen and Alzheimer's Disease: What Is the Connection?
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    If estrogen loss impairs cognitive status, could estrogen
    replacement delay or prevent cognitive decline? Two psychiatric
    researchers examine the studies attempting to answer this
    question. [Medscape Mental Health 2(7), 1997]
  
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    3  The Vancouver Sun  August 1, 1997  Strangely deformed frogs in
  Minnesota puzzle researchers: Researchers consider frogs important
  ecological indicators of the health of the environment. frogs have
  [*]distended bladders and unusually thin testes[*], an expert says.
  
    4 08/01 Tainted Wells  LOS ANGELES (AP) A hazardous chemical used
  to make solid rocket boosters was detected at high enough levels to
  prompt health officials to shut down 18 municipal wells.
  Perchlorate had never been detected in the nation's drinking
  
  
   18  08/02 Manatee Virus By EVAN PEREZ MIAMI (AP) For the first
  time, researchers have found manatees suffering from viral
  infections, raising worries that the endangered sea mammal now has
  a new threat. The virus caused skin lesions for two manatees living
  
  
  
  Enviro-Newsbrief                                  August 1, 1997
  
       The following is a daily update summarizing news of interest
  to EPA staff. It includes information from current news sources:
  newspapers, newsletters, and other publications. For more
  information, contact the EPA Headquarters Information Resources
  Center at (202) 260-5922, or e-mail LIBRARY-HQ.
  
  **Viewpoints expressed in the following summaries do not
  necessarily reflect EPA policy**
  
  
  ** ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS **
  
  Scientist Retracts Groundbreaking Study on 'Endocrine
  Disruptors'. Inside E.P.A. Weekly Report, August 1, 1997, pp1,6.
  
       A groundbreaking study which suggested that mixtures of
  endocrine disrupting chemicals are more toxic than single
  chemicals was retracted by the lead scientist on the project.
       The study, published in the journal _Science_ last year, was
  conducted by a group of scientists at the Tulane Bioenvironmental
  Research Center in New Orleans and led by Dr. John McLachlan, a
  former scientific director of the National Institute of
  Environmental Health Sciences.
                 McLachlan concluded that exposure to individual chemicals
  produced nearly no effect, but when two or more chemicals were
  combined, the mixture's toxic potency rose dramatically. The
  study resulted in widespread controversy.
                 McLachlan and his colleagues retracted their findings,
  claiming that they, and other scientists, have been unable to
  duplicate their findings.
                 According to a July 25 letter published in _Science_,
  McLachlan claimed that after failing to duplicate the results,
  "it seems evident that there must have been a fundamental flaw in
  the design of our original experiment." McLachlan added that
  "people in many walks of life have, on their own, put great
  weight on this report as the basis of much discussion, thought,
  and even public policy." As a result, "it is clear that any
  conclusions drawn from this paper must be suspended until such
  time, if ever, the data can be substantiated."
                 Industry groups are hailing the move. Environmentalists feel
  the study was shelved too swiftly and that scientists would need
  several years to replicate the findings.
  
  
  
  ** MERCURY **
  
  Science Advisory Board Endorses EPA's Controversial Mercury Report. Inside
  E.P.A. Weekly Report, August 1, 1997, pp5-6.
  
                 EPA's Science Advisory Board gave an overall endorsement
  last week, of the agency's controversial report on the health
  risks of mercury. The decision could mean the long-awaited study
  will be finalized by the end of the year, according to some staff
  members.
                 EPA has tried to release the report since 1995 as required
  by section 112(n) of the Clean Air Act, which analyzes the
  sources of mercury pollution and the health effects of mercury
  exposure. EPA has almost released the report twice, but stopped
  in both instances due to criticism from other agencies. The Food
  and Drug Administration has particularly been a vocal critic of
  the study, claiming that it will unnecessarily shake the public's
  confidence in the safety of seafood.
                 EPA decided in April 1996 to delay the release of the report
  until the SAB had a chance to review the study.
                 The subcommittee did not agree with some areas of the study
  but felt these concerns would not warrant stopping finalization
  of the report.
  
  
  
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